THEATER REVIEW; Legends Of Yiddish Stage Brought To Life

In his 75 years, Fyvush Finkel has had some wonderful roles: the blustery lawyer on CBS's drama ''Picket Fences'' (for which he won an Emmy), the waiter with the contemptuous glare in the Public Theater's revival of ''Cafe Crown'' and the owner of a man-eating plant in ''Little Shop of Horrors.'' But his heart, it seems, belongs to the stages where his career began, at the age of 9, in the Yiddish theaters on Second Avenue.

In ''Fyvush Finkel -- From Second Avenue to Broadway,'' Mr. Finkel pays homage with comedy and song to that long-departed theatrical world. Jokes begin with lines like ''A man is going to his nephew's bar mitzvah'' and deal with subjects like the mother of the first Jewish President, who refuses to attend his Inauguration (''I'm not going to sit on a porch in the cold with strangers'').

Mr. Finkel shows off a little Maurice Chevalier attitude in ''I'm Glad I'm Not Young Anymore,'' sadly proves he's no Zero Mostel with ''If I Were a Rich Man'' and charms his audience with a lullaby, ''Raisins and Almonds,'' first in Yiddish, then in English. (A knowledge of Yiddish is not required to enjoy the show; Mr. Finkel just sprinkles his patter with a ''tsimmes'' here, a ''mishegoss'' there.) He does a brief jowl-jiggling Nixon impersonation and chats about the Yiddish actor Jacob P. Adler's way with women.

Despite the title, this is not a one-man show. The star's sons -- Elliot on piano and Ian on xylophone -- get considerable performance time, including a thrilling ''Bei Mir Bist Du Schon'' and a lengthy Gershwin medley in the second act. There are also a grandson on drums, two backup singers and a small band with a star trumpeter, Byron Stripling. The show, a shorter version of which was presented last December at the John Houseman Theater, continues at Town Hall through tomorrow.

Mr. Finkel can be forgiven for his reference to ''Betty Midler and the Harlots,'' her backup singers. (How many Bette Midler and Harlettes fans would be able to get Menasha Skulnik's name right?) And even if ''From Second Avenue to Broadway'' sometimes comes across as wedding-reception entertainment, thank goodness Mr. Finkel, with his lovable face and demeanor, is around to keep the memories of Yiddish theater and its legends alive.